Paper Palate

Having people over, and cooking for them, is a great joy in my life. There is nothing quite like the high I get when people obviously are enjoying a party at my house or some dish I’ve created. I’m not talking about them saying “this is good,” but rather the inadvertent “mmm’s” and […]

SpongeBob SquarePants and Dora the Explorer are already celebrities in their own right, especially in our house. They now have their sights set on becoming a celebrity in the produce aisle of your local grocery store.
As reported in USA Today last week, Nickelodeon announced plans to put the faces of SpongeBob and Dora on […]

“Nutrition Notes” in the current issue of Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food offers a brief, but informative article regarding the various benefits and versatility of the B-vitamin, Riboflavin. This “helper vitamin” is also known as vitamin B-2 and its versatility is considerable. Because of riboflavin, many vital physiological processes occur within the human body, processes which […]

The Chicago City Council has banned foie gras, smoking in public places and has considered setting cabbie dress codes and creating a smoking ban at beaches. But according to the New York Times, people are concerned that their latest proposed ban might be delving too far into people’s private lives. They are considering a complete […]

“On the Side” in the current issue of Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food, features classic Summer side dishes made from this season’s sweet summer corn. Since this is the magazine’s “special grilling issue,” Grilled Corn on the Cob is the article’s first recipe suggestion, followed by a recipe for homemade Creamed Corn. Also included, are recipes […]

In the current issue of Cook’s Illustrated, Elizabeth Germain offers the proper method and technique required for grilling onions, successfully. Considering grilled onions are often overcooked on the outside, but undercooked on the inside, her advice is very helpful for the Summer grillmaster. Ms. Germain’s tips include: first cutting the onion crosswise, into half-inch-thick slices, […]

One of the newest cookbooks to hit book stores is Boy Boy Eats World!: A Private Chef Cooks Simple Gourmet, from David Lawrence. Of course, the Sacramento Bee had to put in its two cents, since Lawrence is a local. After attempting and abandoning an acting career, he got into catering and […]

Feel guilty using jarred sauce when time is running out? Don’t! In a recent issue of delicious. magazine, Chef Gary Skelton of Season Restaurant in Noosa confessed to using Five Brothers pasta sauce as his “cheat for a quick meal. I like the grilled vegetable and tomato version. I add fresh […]

In last week’s Chicago Sun-Times, Leah Zeldes offers an extremely helpful primer on the basics of grilling steak, that extends far beyond various grilling methods and which cuts of meat are choice. The successful grilling experience is underscored by using high quality meat and these days, there is nearly an overwhelming selection of choices. In […]

Anthony Bourdain and the crew for his Travel Channel series No Reservations were evacuated from Beirut on a ship bound for Cyprus two days ago. Word that the top-selling chef-author was caught up in the devastating bombing crisis in Lebanon (where he was filming an episode about the country’s culinary and cultural resurgence) spread […]